Her Father's Daughter
by thrufirewithoutaburn
Summary: Her fate has been laid out since her birth.  She was prophesied to save the hero.  She held the fate of mankind in her hands.  Antigone and Luke Castellan were thrown together by destiny. But soon, they learn that each person makes their own destiny.
1. Prologue

**Hello! Please enjoy the story! It's my first Percy Fanfic! Please read and review! :)**

Night cloaked the forest as two winged feet lithely glided over the winter-kissed ground. Hermes, messenger of the Gods, moved silently and quickly, tightly holding a bundle to his chest. The God had been traveling for mere minutes, all the way from Mount Olympus, but already he could sense the barrier drawing near. He felt a little shudder from the bundle as snow flakes lightly began to fall upon the fleece it was wrapped in. Humans, he remembered, had little tolerance for the cold, so he tucked the bundle closer to his chest. The God radiated warmth, and the bundle almost immediately stopped shuddering.

Finally, Hermes reached the barrier of Camp Half-Blood. The snow fell harder around him, and Hermes had to remind himself of his instructions. In the back of his mind, he could still hear Zeus' furious voice radiating off of the walls of the main hall of Mount Olympus.

"Leave the child just inside of the barrier. Go no further. Take caution that no one should see you. This child is an abomination. It will be her father's decision whether she lives or dies. Not mine. Not yours."

But Hermes could not allow the child to die. Had the roles been reversed, the young God would want his children protected, no matter the circumstances. He looked around quickly for a dry patch of earth to lay the child upon, but found none. Kicking aside the snow and creating a small hole, he placed he child there. Looking around, as thought someone was watching, God leaned down and gently blew a puff of his divine breath into the infant child's face. Tiny, gold sparks fell from Hermes' lips and descended, leaving the child with a blessing of warmth. At the very least, Hermes knew that the baby would not freeze to death.

"Farewell, Antigone," he said, but it was merely a whisper on the wind.

In that moment, the messenger god was gone, and the new born daughter of Hades was left alone in the harsh winter night.

**I know it's short, but It's just a prologue! I have the first chapter ready! Please read and review!**


	2. The First Encounter

**Thanks for all the reads and reviews!! Just so everyone knows, this story takes place before Lighting Thief ever happens. Please keep reading and reviewing! Enjoy!**

Sixteen years after that night, a young girl sat by herself on the border of her world and the world outside. Snow covered every inch of ground around her. A perfect circle where she sat, though, was clear and warm. The falling snow didn't even near the girl. She sighed as she looked out into the forest, her nearly black eyes scanning the trees. The sun set mere moments before, leaving her in near darkness. A few yards away, candles burned around an altar of Hestia, lending the girl a little light.

Her eyes slid closed and she soaked in the warmth that surrounded her. She knew little about the night she had been brought to Camp Half-Blood, but marks of the Gods were clear. Any time she neared the spot beside the fence, the earth cleared and she immediately became warm. Chiron had admitted several years before that she had been blessed by a God on the night she was born, and that blessing had left a permanent mark on the earth where she had been left.

Thinking of the night she was born, the girl's right hand shot to her left wrist. She knew without looking a small black mark marred the skin there. A depiction of the keys to the underworld marked her, letting the world know what she was. Instinctively, she pulled her sleeve down to cover the divine tattoo.

The girl, whose name was Antigone, sighed. Since she had been brought to Camp Half-Blood, she had been kept locked up by Chiron, away from the other campers. She remembered, as if it were yesterday, the day the Oracle foretold her destiny. Chiron had refused to let her listen firsthand, but he told her that the prophecy said to keep her away from the outside world, to protect her from the wrath of her uncles until she was ready. So, abiding by the rules, Chiron and Antigone trained every night, covered by a cloak of darkness. Antigone never made contact with campers, nor did they make contact with her. The old centaur made sure of that.

"This is for your own good."

His voice still resounded in the back of her mind as memories flooded her mind. Her damp room in the cellar of the Big House. Training in the dead of night, no matter the weather. Watching the other Demi-Gods running freely through the camp, training and making friends. Dinner alone in the cellar. Listening to fireworks and parties, never being apart of them. Antigone shook her head and muttered the simple phrase that caused all the trouble.

"Til her sixteenth birthday, locked like her mother in a cage, for safety's sake she'll be."

All her life, she waited and longed for the day she could roam freely through the camp. And today, her sixteenth birthday, she was finally getting her wish. Her eyes still closed, Antigone smiled. The oracle had proclaimed that she could be free to roam on her sixteen birthday. She imagined for years what it would be like- meeting the other Half-Bloods, that is. She silently prayed to the Gods that it would meet her expectations. Collecting herself mentally, Antigone opened her eyes, feeling completely at peace. But of course, that peace was broken by her first encounter with another Half-Blood.

"It's not back here but I think we could-"

Antigone leapt to her feet and turned toward the voice. Coming from behind a tree, a pair of stormy blue eyes shot to meet black ones. Luke swung in the direction of the girl, a questioning look flashing across his face. He whipped out his sword and pointed it at her.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Shaking her head, Antigone turned and began to walk away. She couldn't talk to the other Half-Bloods until the feast. Chiron had ordered it, and she had never disobeyed him before.

"You are on hallowed ground, girl. Who are you?"

The girl turned and looked at him. His impertinence annoyed her.

"You'll find out soon enough," she said simply.

Jogging to catch up with her, Luke grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, raising his sword to the level of her chest. Battle reflexes took over, just as Chiron had taught her.

"I suggest you lower your sword," she warned.

The boy smirked.

"I'm always up for a challenge."

Chuckling, the girl looked to her left at the statue of the Virgin goddess surrounded by candles and offerings. The goddess of peace and home would not appreciate a battle on her sacred ground.

"I won't spill blood on an altar of Hestia."

Luke lowered his sword and placed it in the holster on his hip.

"Then you're just a coward. Nothing to worry about, I guess."

While Luke's head was lowered, the girl used one hand to push him off of the sacred land of Hestia's altar as the other reached across his body to slide the sword out of it's place. Swinging it so the tip was pointed at his neck, Antigone smiled and she cocked an eyebrow. She would explain the boy's attitude and Chiron would understand, surely.

"Now, would a coward have done that?"

It was her turn to smirk. Luke, attempting wrestle his sword away from her, only allowed her a better hold on him. She shoved him to the ground, the momentum pulling her on top of him. Pushing herself up so she was straddling his waist, she sighed.

"What to do with you now?"

The tip of the sword was a hair away from the boy's nose.

"I suppose I'll have to kill you now," the girl teased.

He obviously did not get the young Demi-goddesses' joke. His heartbeat sped and small sweat beads formed on his forehead, though his expression remained calm and cool. Leaning in, Antigone lowered the sword down his body to the place where his armour covered his heart. Taking the edge of the boy's weapon, she skillfully carved the letter A into the leather breastplate. Smirking, she patted Luke's chest, dropped the sword on the ground beside him and stood.

As Antigone walked away, she heard him scrambled to his feet.

"I am Luke Castellan, son of Hermes," he shouted to her retreating back.

"I don't care," she called to him.

Lowly, Antigone chuckled and continued walking toward Camp Half-Blood.


	3. The Claiming and The Nightmare

**Thanks for all the reviews! They're awesome! For the record, you pronounce Antigone as Ant- ih- guh-nee. :) Please read and review! **

Luke sighed as he watched the girl disappear through the trees. She was stunning, he thought to himself before he could think better of it. He stepped over toward the place she had been standing. It had not escaped the young Demi-God's attention that there was no snow in the place he had found her. But as he neared it, the snow immediately collapsed upon the patch of grass and blended in with the rest of the landscape. Luke sighed and looked toward the Heavens. How the Gods loved to humiliate him. Groaning, he picked up his sword from it's place in the snow and slung it into it's sheath.

Turning on his booted heel, Luke turned and walked back the way he came, toward the rest of the Hermes cabin. They had been in a fierce enchanted discus competition with the Ares cabin all afternoon. But in the final round, Luke overshot the edge of the competition's boundaries, and the discus was lost in the thick of the forest. Mr. D, who had been judging the competition, declared the Ares cabin the winners, and forced the Hermes cabin to go look for his discus.

"And you may not enter tonight's dinner until you've found it," he had said with a haughty smirk.

The blonde warrior rolled his eyes as he remembered the old God's words. The Ares cabin immediately broke into celebration and jeers; The Hermes cabin immediately set out looking for the discus.

"FOUND IT!" Two voices called in harmony.

Breaking out into a run and following the voices, Luke eventually made it to a small clearing. Two boys, Connor and Travis, stood on top of a tree stump. Both of them had a hand on the discus and held it aloft as though it were some great trophy.

"Well, Thank the Gods!" Collyer, a young Demi-Goddess shouted, leaping lithely down from her perch on a tall tree.

One by one, the Hermes cabin fell in, gathering in the clearing and waiting for orders from Luke. The rag-tag group clustered around Connor and Travis, asking how they had caught the elusive little metal disk, and they chattered among themselves, each anxious for dinner and time off after a long day of training.

"Cabin Eleven!"

Every camper stopped what they were doing and stood at attention.

"Fall in!"

In a matter of seconds all of Luke's family were in a straight line. Taking his place at the head of the it, Luke lead his brothers and sisters through the camp and to the mess hall. After sending Connor and Travis to return Mr. D his discus, Luke sat in his normal place at Hermes table, next to Collyer.

"To the Gods!" Mr. D shouted, raising his glass.

The entire camp echoed the sentiment and each camper piled their plates with food. Waiting in line to give his offering, Luke caught sight of the girl from the boundary, waiting behind Mr. D in the front of the line.

"Hey," Luke said, nudging Collyer.

He liked Collyer because of her sly nature and her gossiping mind. No secret got out in camp unless it had passed over Collyer's tongue first. She kept him informed of everyone in camp's business, and he appreciated it.

"What?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

Luke pointed at the pale skinned, dark-haired girl.

"Who's that?"

Collyer took a long look at the girl.

"No idea."

By this point, the entire camp was chattering about the newcomer. She stepped forward, head held high, and whispered a name. Luke looked intently but could not understand which God she had muttered. The girl scraped her food into the fire pit. Bowing her head and closing her eyes for a moment in prayer, the girl took in the scents from the flames. Flowers and cake and Root Beer assailed her senses and she smiled, not noticing the gasps that erupted around her.

From his place in line, Luke watched the girl close her eyes. But as she did, black smoke trickled out of the flames and surrounded her; a thin line circled her body, curving around her to the top of her head. Luke's free hand shot to his sword, ready to whip it out at the first sign of trouble. But it wasn't necessary. In the space of a second, the smoke snapped together and took the shape of the keys to the Underworld, hovering in the air over the girl. The whole room gasped. Picking her head up, the young Demi-Goddess opened her eyes and followed everyone's gaze to the keys above her head. Chiron's voice thundered across the dining hall.

"Hail, Antigone Harper, daughter of Hades, God of the Underworld."

Antigone sighed. So much for being normal. No one in the hall moved. No one even seemed to breath. Until, from the corner ofthe room, a single set of hands started clapping, breaking the silence.

"Hail, Antigone, Daughter of Hades!"

The girl's gaze snapped to the voice and she met a pair of blue eyes attached to a smiling face. Luke. She groaned under her breath. He continued to clap on his own, until eventually his entire cabin joined in. Slowly and surely, as if they were afraid not clapping would bring upon them the wrath of Hades, the entire camp applauded the young girl. Luke chuckled as he watched her face turn bright red. Shuffling to her seat at Mr. D's table, she silently cursed Luke Castellan, son of Hermes.

"Well, that was-" Collyer began after the offerings were finished.

"Weird," finished Connor and Travis, nodding their heads.

The table broke out into furious chatter about what it all meant, having another kid of the Big Three come to camp, especially after what happened to Thalia. None of them dared mention her name in Luke's presence, but he could sense it was on the tip of everyone's tongues.

Chattering and banter were cut short by Mr. D's announcements.

"Ahem- As I guess you've noticed, we've got Little-Miss-Ball-Of Sunshine now joining us at camp-"

Mr. D's words were cut short by the ground shaking in what felt like a ten-second earthquake.

"Ah, hush up, Uncle!" He said, stomping his foot upon the ground.

Everyone would have laughed at the antic if they weren't so afraid of Hades.

"So, Antigone's gonna be here now, blah-blah-blah, don't kill her, blah-blah-blah, and go to your campfire. Goodnight."

Half-bloods poured from the mess hall toward the camp-fire, but something inside Luke told him to wait. He motioned that his family could leave, but he hung back by the Hermes table until the room looked just about cleared out.

Chiron stood next to the young girl, whose image of confidence and composure was steadily crumbling. Antigone's head was buried in her hands, and her posture was slumped in defeat.

Luke strained as he tried to hear what they were saying.

"-don't know if I can do this anymore, Chiron."

The Centaur patted her on the shoulder.

"You are stronger than you know, Antigone. They are your family and they will accept you sooner or later."

Luke attempted to stand and sneak out, sensing he was intruding on a private conversation. Chiron's keen ears picked up the quiet sound of the young man's shoes squeak on the marble.

"Speaking of which-"

Chiron locked eyes with the son of Hermes and motioned that he should draw near.

"I believe you've met Luke Castella," Chiron said, pointing to the small A on Luke's breast plate.

Antigone's head shot up from it's place in her hands. She, once again, locked eyes with the boy before groaning and dropping her head.

"Unfortunately."

Chuckling, the old Centaur patted the girl on the back.

"Antigone and I are great friends," Luke supplied, smiling at the trainer.

Clapping his hands together, Chiron smiled.

"Then it's decided! Luke will be your guide-"

"WHAT?" Antigone shouted, looking at her oldest friend and father figure.

Luke laughed out loud at the girl's reaction, and she returned his look with a scowl.

"Luke will be your guide around camp and supervise your training."

Antigone sighed, exhaling all her breath in frustration.

"There can be no changing your mind, I assume?" she asked.

Chiron nodded.

"Fine."

She caught herself.

"I mean, yes sir."

The sounds from the campfire started to cease, and the three could hear the campers returning to their cabins.

"I must be going, now. Sleep well, Antigone. Sleep well, Luke."

The centaur left their presence.

"Look, he'll never know if we don't do it. He's a very busy centaur and he'd never notice if I didn't have a guide," Antigone started to walk past Luke, but he caught her arm.

"Not unless I tell him," he said, smirking.

Antigone ground her teeth together.

"You wouldn't. I know you want less to do with me than I want to do with you."

Luke genuinely looked hurt.

"That's not true. At the very least, my dad is the most welcoming of the Gods. It's my duty to watch over newcomers like you."

A long pause filled the room, and Antigone looked at her feet.

"I want to help," Luke supplied, hoping it would make her hate him a little less.

He reached his fingers out and tipped her chin upward to look into her eyes.

"You have lovely eyes. Like a clear night sky," he commented, more to himself than to her.

Antigone rolled her eyes and tore away from him. Leave it to Hermes' kid to ruin a perfectly beautiful moment.

"Whatever. I'll see you in the morning."

She traipsed away, not even sparing a single glance behind her. Luke sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"See you then," he muttered to himself.

Moments later, Antigone was stepping lightly down the stairs to her cellar bedroom. Swinging the door open, she gasped at the sight that met her. Torches hung from the walls, emanating fire light. The walls were (or looked to be) made of pure gold. Her father, as most knew, was God of precious metal, so she was almost unsurprised at the new look of her room. Letting her eyes swing around the rest of the cellar, she saw her bed was made of cypress, and every ledge or shelf has a vase of fresh narcissus. The smell of the fresh flower filled her nose, and she smiled. It smelled like home.

"Thank you, Father," she muttered under her breath.

Antigone couldn't be sure it was he who created it for her, but somehow she felt it in her heart. The torch flames flickered, as if in reply. She tried to sleep, but eventually gave up. Pulling on a long sleeved tee-shirt, Antigone left her cellar. A long walk, she decided, would be just the thing to calm her nerves.

In his hammock that night, Luke's dream were tumultuous. He was trapped in a deep abyss, covered with shadows. But every few minutes, out of the corner of his eye, Luke would catch sight of a glittering man with winged shoes. As he fell down the deepest imaginable pit, a golden apple would appear before him, but disappear as he reached his hand out to touch it. He heard what sounded like Thalia's screams, resounding though the abyss. Falling, he craned his neck to find the source of the scream, but it was too dark to see anything.

"Thalia! Thalia!" he shouted, but another voice answered him.

"Luke?" A voice, sounding barely conscious, whispered.

It was then that he hit the floor of the abyss, which really wasn't an abyss at all. Looking around, he found himself in a cave.

"Luke?" The voice asked again.

The torches around him blazed to life, and he saw a pair of out of focus black eyes.

Antigone," he breathed.

After a long moment, he tore himself away from their depths, looking around her. To his horror, Luke's eyes followed the length of a long, slimy black tail creep it's way around Antigone's body. Luke let his face trace the line back to it's source. Luke's disgusted gaze met the sight of a huge dragon. Luke took a step forward, toward the girl, but an invisible barrier kept him away.

"Antigone!" he shouted, reaching out to her, only to be kept out by the invisible wall.

Raising his fist, he banged against the air in front of him.

"Let me in! Let me in!"

Sounds filled his ears. Thalia's screams, Antigone's pleas, and finally a voice, deep and haunting and convincing all at the same time drowned them all out.

"You'll never save her. You'll fail her just as you failed Thalia. Stay away, Luke, son of Hermes. Stay away from Antigone."

Just then, Antigone let out one final, piercing scream, and Luke shot up in his bed. Sighing, he used his tee shirt to rub the sweat off of his face. The boy quietly stood from his bed, and stepped carefully around the bodies on the floor. Grabbing his Camp Half-Blood tee-shirt and shoes, Luke walked out of the Hermes Cabin. He needed to clear his head.

**How did you like it? Are you intrigued yet? Let me know how it's going please!!**


	4. Strawberry Fields

**Remember: Favorite-ing/Alerting is awesome! But I really love reviews!!!!**

Antigone laid herself down beside a strawberry bush and stared at the stars contentedly. She had found her way from the Big House to the fields where the students grew the plants. They grew year round, she was happy to discover, and plucked them off of the plant one by one. Happily chewing on the little berries as she laid in damp grass, the girl looked to the Heavens.

"Happy Birthday to me, I suppose," she muttered to herself, throwing the top leaves of a strawberry on the ground.

"It's your birthday?" An irritatingly familiar voice called to her.

The girl shut her eyes and counted to ten, slowly. How was it that Luke managed to always be near her? Rising to a sitting position, she looked around for him. The boy, laying in the row of bushes just next to her, smiled as he looked at her face.

"Well?" he asked.

He surveyed her for a moment through the branches of the strawberry bushes. In the dimming light, her eyes did shine like the night sky above them. As she continued to ignore him, he watched the stars light up her pale face and the moon beams dance across her face. Moments flew by in silence. Growing bored and cold, Luke sighed.

"Did you hear me?" he asked.

Luke sat up and looked at her again. The girl's eyes were now closed peacefully and her face was completely expressionless.

"I did."

A harsh wind blew through the fields and Luke shivered.

"So? Are you going to answer me?"

The smallest of smiles crept up on Antigone's face.

"I'm ignoring you in the hopes that you will go away."

Chuckling, Luke laid back down.

"Well, in that case, I'll stay here for a little longer."

Behind her closed eyelids, Antigone rolled her eyes.

"So….Ol' King of the Dead is your daddy?" He asked after a beat.

Antigone opened her eyes.

"You know, I came out here to enjoy this," she said, waving her hand toward the stars.

Luke rose to his feet and looked down at the girl. As if making a point, she ignored his gaze all together and stared up at the sky.

"It'll be there tomorrow," he noted.

She smiled up at the stars.

"I've got nothing better to do right now."

Scoffing, Luke pointed to himself with mock incredulity.

"I'm standing right here and you say you've got nothing better to do?" the boy joked.

"Yes."

The boy shivered as the frosty wind blew.

"Can we take this wonderful conversation somewhere else?" Luke asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Where? Like your bunk in Cabin 11?" She responded wryly.

Luke chuckled under his breath.

"Now, that's not fair. I'm just trying to be friendly."

Antigone stood and brushed off her clothes.

"Well, I don't need your type of friendly, Hot shot," she said, smiling.

Gliding away from him, Antigone sighed. The last thing she needed was some popular Hermes son chasing her around. She just had to wait for the quest the prophecy promised her.

"Hey!" Luke called, catching up with her.

They walked together through the camp, as Luke tried to think of something witty to say. Before he could think better off it, he blurted,

"Who's your mom?"

His tone was merely curious, but it made almost every hair on the back of Antigone's neck stand up. Easily, as if her tongue was acting of it's own accord, she lied.

"Meghan Harper, from Long Island. She's an artist."

It wasn't a total lie. Antigone's real mother did occasionally go under the guise of Meghan Harper, and she was an artist of sorts.

"Somehow, I don't quite believe that," he said, stopping to look at her.

Antigone clenched her fist and struggled to suppress an angry sigh.

"Oh, so, you think I'm a liar?" she asked him quirking her eyebrows.

Luke chuckled humorlessly.

"Well, your father is king of the dead and the evilest of Gods. You must've taken a page or two from his book, if you know what I mean."

Shoving her fists in her pockets, Antigone resisted the urge to whip out her sword and take him out. But a chilled wind blew through the camp, as if a message telling her to keep calm.

"I need to go and get some sleep," Antigone muttered, turning away from him.

Walking away from the boy and toward the Big House, the girl sighed.

"You better be ready for training tomorrow," Luke called to her.

His words made Antigone laugh out loud.

"Oh, I will be," she muttered to herself, smirking.


	5. In the Morning

And ready she was. The next morning, by the time any one else even opened their eyes, she began her normal training routine. Jumping out of bed the moment she gained consciousness, Antigone threw on her training gear and dashed out the door. Gaining a steady pace, she allowed her feet to carry her through the camp. Running along with the curves of the creek that divided the land, and careful to stay far enough away from the water as to not upset her uncle, the girl enjoyed the last moments of quiet before the camp woke. The sun glinted off of the running water, the reflections dancing around Antigone playfully. The cool winter's wind cooled her off and the sun beamed down on her from high above. But, by the time she reached the ampitheater, the peace was broken as the sound of a Half Blood Hill morning reached her ears. With a sigh, she allowed herself a break to catch her breath. And after a brief moment, she leapt to her feet and took off again. Antigone traveled toward the mess hall, intent on arriving to breakfast on time.

"Hey! Antigone!"

The voice stopped her dead in her tracks. With a gulp, she turned and looked toward the blonde-haired devil.

"Hey!" his eyes lit up when they met hers.

Dressed in full armor, he broke rank from the rest of his Hermes cabin and jogged toward her.

"Yes?" she asked, impatient to get to breakfast.

His smile never drooping, he put an arm around her shoulder and began leading her toward the Mess Hall. She shrugged him off.

"Don't touch me," she warned.

Stepping across the stream, he extended a hand to her.

"Not even to help you across the water?"

Luke's tone didn't threaten; it only mocked her gently. But she couldn't stand it, nonetheless. Shooting him a look and grinding her jaw, Antigone took a running start and leapt across the stream at it's thinnest point. The second her soles hit the grass on the other side, and without a look in Luke's direction, she continued toward the Mess Hall.

"Wait up!" he called, jogging to catch up with her.

Doing nothing of the kind, the girl called behind her,

"Why are you following me?"

He smirked.

"I'm supervising your training. Or did you forget?"

If only she had.

"No. I haven't forgotten. I just don't want you ruining my appetite."

Hand flying up to his chest in mock agony, Luke acted heartbroken.

"Antigone, you're killing me here."

She chuckled.

"Oh, if only."

The two sidled up to the mess hall and discontinued their banter. Luke walked away in stunned silence, and Antigone sauntered away, savoring her victor. But her fortune didn't last for long. Because after Luke finished his meal, he wasted no time. Rushing over to her table, he pestered the girl once more. Sitting across from her, watching as she picked at her food, he smirked.

"The strawberries are good today," the boy offered.

She didn't even bother looking at him.

"Please leave me alone. We don't have to start training for another ten minutes."

Picking a strawberry from her plate and placing it in his mouth, he smiled.

"I know. But there's no rule against bothering you before training," he said, his mouth full.

He reached for another fruit, but her hand smacked his away before he got a chance. She looked up at him, their eyes finally meeting.

"Are you learning impaired? I said go away."

Nursing his hand, he watched as she picked up the last strawberry from her plate and stormed away from him.

"Well, if you were just going to walk away, then there was no use in telling me to go away, now, is there?"

Antigone rolled her eyes and spun on him.

"What are we doing first?"

Quirking an eyebrow, he looked down at her.

"You're actually going to do what I say?"

She groaned.

"Just answer the question."

Clucking his tongue at her disapprovingly, he shook his head.

"Touchy…. Touchy…."

Turning from him, she began to walk away, only to have him grab her wrist. Spinning her around, his expression came close to dangerous.

"Don't ever turn your back on an enemy."

Her face nearly covered with fear, she whispered,

"I didn't know we were enemies."

Luke smirked and she heard the sharp, stinging noise of his sword being unsheathed. Her heartbeat raced.

"We are now."

Just as the edge of the blade laid against her neck, a voice called out to them.

"Come now, Luke, you can't kill her yet. She's only been here twelve hours," Chiron joked, laughing.

Quickly putting his sword away, Luke's face returned to a congenial smile.

"Ah, Chiron, you know I'd only maim her."

Another laugh erupted from the centaur.

"I thought you scheduled an archery lesson for our newest camper, Luke."

Luke nodded and grabbed Antigone's arm.

"Yes, Chiron. We're just on our way."

With a nod, the centaur retreated toward target practice.

"What was that?" Antigone asked.

He looked at her, confused.

"What was what?"

She laughed incredulously.

"You just threatened me, unprovoked, with your sword. Any particular reason for that?"

Chuckling, Luke began to lead her toward their archery lesson.

"A test, dear Antigone."

Throwing him a look, she quirked her eyebrow.

"What-"

He cut her off.

"Oh, you failed," he remarked offhandedly as he continued to pull her along.

Moving along the familiar route, he chuckled to himself.

"But don't worry. I'll teach you everything you'll ever need to know."

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**I know it's been forever! But PLEASE read and review! It means the world to me!**


	6. Archery

**Please review! My reviewers are amazing and wonderful, but if you don't review I can't say that about you! **

* * *

"Pull!" Chiron yelled.

A lightweight disk whizzed through the air, only to be picked off by a black arrow. Antigone smirked as the plate shattered and sunk to the ground.

"Beginners luck," Luke scoffed.

He placed a gold arrow in his bow and stretched it back.

"Pull!" he shouted.

Antigone scrambled to ready her weapon. In the nick of time, she released her arrow, watching as it flew threw the air. It raced with Luke's arrow. Antigone's smirk fell as his inched ahead of hers. He was going to win. But then, as if a hand pushed it along, the wind changed, moving her arrow. It shattered the plate midair, and the girl smiled. Luke shot her a look.

"What?" she quipped.

Shouldering her bow, she had the audacity to wink at him.

"Just beginner's luck, right?"

He chuckled and copied her actions.

"I'll get you in Sword and Shield practice later. Don't worry. You've still got a lot to learn."

Chiron watched their banter intently.

"Pull!" he called, catching both parties off guard.

Both campers rushed to nock their arrows and release. Neither hit the target.

"Don't let yourselves get distracted."

Drawing an arrow into each of their bows and preparing to release, the two demi-gods sighed.

"Yes, Chiron," both students said.

Smiling, the centaur called the order.

"Pull!"

Watching the girl out of the corner of his eye, he saw her focus completely on the disk. Luke smirked and caught sight of her drawing the string back, about to let it go. Copying her actions, he released his projectile the second before she released her, simultaneously sweeping his foot around her ankle, pulling her feet from under her and knocking her to the ground. Antigone's arrow fell, harmless, a few feet in front of her as his soared through the sky before hitting it's target.

"Well done, Luke. Not how I would have gone about it. But well done," their teacher said, nodding approvingly.

Taking the compliment, the boy shouldered his bow and walked over to the girl on the ground. He offered his hand to help her up. Ignoring it, she stood on her own.

"How is that not against the rules?" she asked Chiron, dusting herself off.

The old centaur chuckled.

"All is fair in war, Antigone," Luke said, smugly.

Lightly shoving him away from her, the girl nocked her bow.

"Are we going to finish this competition, or what?"

Complying, Luke made himself ready to shoot and Chiron called for the final disk to fly. As it flew, Antigone spun on the balls of her feet to face her opponent. Releasing the arrow, she watched as it struck the heart of his bow, snapping it in half. Without missing a beat, she reset her weapon and let the projectile go. She watched as her arrow smashed into the disk with a triumphant smile. The whole exchange happened in a matter of ten seconds.

"Well done, Antigone. You learn quickly," Chiron said, as though it was the first time he ever saw her do something well.

The truth was, he taught her from the time she was big enough to hold a bow.

"Thank you, Chiron."

Luke cradled his weapon.

"Can it be saved?" Antigone asked, mock concern dripping from her tongue.

Giving it a once over, the boy nodded.

"Should be able to repair it. Chiron, can you take care of that for me?"

Luke dropped the useless pile of wood into his teacher's hands.

"Of course. Such a shame. It was one of the best bows we had."

The girl smiled at her opponent.

"All is fair in war, right, Luke?"

Trying to maintain a friendly persona, the son of Hermes chuckled.

"Right."

Extending his hand for her to shake, he smiled. With a sigh, Antigone met his hand.

"It was a valiant effort, Luke."

He chuckled and let go of her.

"Beginner's luck. I'm still going to beat you in sword and shield."

Rolling her eyes, Antigone shouldered her bow and began to walk toward Chiron.

"We will just have to see about that," she called back to him.

Her mentor stood before her, ready to end the session.

"Excellent for your first day, Antigone. Head off to your next lesson. Luke, keep an eye on her."

Tipping his head in respect to the great centaur, Luke followed intructions.

"Come on, zombie princess," he called to the girl.

Antigone shot Chiron an exasperated look. Luke was taking her through beginner's training. Training she completed at the age of 8.

"Run along, Antigone," he said, dotingly.

Groaning, the girl turned and walked to meet Luke. He offered her his arm, which she stared at for a long moment.

"Are you serious right now?" she asked, looking up at him.

He smiled.

"Well, yeah."

She rolled her eyes and pushed his arm away.

"Just lead me to the next phase of training, Luke."

Following her instructions with a smile, he set off toward the other side of camp.

"You're a talented archer," he commented off-handedly, after checking behind him to see that Chiron was out of sight.

Knowing that she couldn't avoid conversation, Antigone went along with the game.

"Thank you."

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Where'd you learn to shoot like that?" he asked.

Antigone chuckled.

"Whose to say I learned it? What happened to beginner's luck?"

Luke gave her a look that said he clearly didn't buy the lie.

"You just plucked plates out of mid-air with a bow and arrow. That doesn't happen just on chance."

The girl shrugged.

"I guess I just picked it up somewhere. I don't know."

Everything came off so off-handedly with her, Luke could hardly tell that when she was mocking him and when she was being serious. He shifted gears to another topic.

"So, where are you from?"

Antigone's entire demeanor changed.

"Why do you want to know that?" she snapped.

Taken off guard, Luke staggered back a step.

"Calm down. I just want to get to know you better. That's what friends do."

As the two neared the lake, Antigone stopped and looked at him.

"What did you just say?" she asked with a smile, stepping up so their faces were a breath away.

Luke smiled down at her, completely wrapped up in the darkness of her eyes.

"I said that's what friends do."

The next thing the boy knew, Antigone slid his own sword from it's place at his hip and the tip of the blade sat a hair from his neck.

"We aren't friends."

Smirking at him for a long moment, the girl finally took a step back and tossed his weapon back to him. He caught it with ease.

"Was that payback for this morning?" he asked.

Antigone chuckled.

"Absolutely."

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	7. Training: Day 1

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**Antigone sighed as she looked at Luke across the arena. The sword weighed heavily in her hand, but she focused on her opponent nonetheless.

"Now, Antigone. I told Chiron that I'd be easy on you, not kill you and all of that-" He began, teasing her as though they were old friends.

He smiled that agonizingly charming smile at her, a twinkle in his eyes. He sauntered in her direction, swinging his sword in his left hand as he moved.

"But, you seem pretty tough," he whispered sarcastically, sizing her up with his eyes.

Luke watched as the girl in front of him rolled her eyes and readjusted the sword uncomfortably in her hands. He stopped about a yard from her, tilting his head to one side.

"Let's see what you've got," Luke said with an air of finality.

She nodded, looking down and resetting her stance. But, by the time she felt ready, the sharp whip of steel blurred across her vision. Out of instinct and habit, she swung the heavy sword up, barely blocking his.

"Too slow," he muttered.

The girl knew he only meant to antagonize her. She ignored his words and slid her sword from under his. Straightening herself, she took a few steps away from him and lifted her sword once more. Luke smirked and raised his weapon as well, balancing his weight in his perfect stance. A moment of complete stillness followed; neither party moved or even shifted. Then, finally, Antigone made her first move. With one deft move, she thrust forward, her sword nearly catching him off guard. But, at the last moment, he blocked her. Then, the real match began. Back and forth the thrusts and parries went, each half-blood unwilling and unable to give up.

"You're not bad, Zombie Queen," Luke commented as he took a few steps to his left.

Antigone matched his strides, still throwing her sword to catch his blows.

"For a beginner?" She asked, ducking to avoid the blade of the weapon.

Resetting himself after the failed attempt to decapitate her, Luke shook his head and chuckled wryly.

"Nah. For a girl."

Whether it was the sexist remark, the frustrating smirk, or the exhaustion sweeping over her, Antigone did not know. But she suddenly used every ounce of energy she kept within her to knock the sword from his grasp.

"Bad move," he commented, victory shining in his eyes.

The energy she threw into the blow reverberated down her sword, amplifying from the contact with his. Painfully, her arm shook back and forth until she had no choice but to drop her weapon. The momentum threw her to the floor of the arena, huffing and puffing. Luke swaggered over to her, smirking.

"Do I have to say that I win?" he asked, the tip of his blade to her throat.

She shook her head.

"Good!" he said shortly, smiling.

Dropping his sword to one side, he reached out a hand to her.

"Here."

And, for the first time, she took it.

"Thanks," she breathed.

Once on her feet, Antigone brushed herself off.

"That whole girl thing was just to annoy you," Luke added, knowing he had to.

Antigone smirked, grabbing her sword and swinging it over her shoulder, blade flat.

"I'm sure, Castellan. I'm sure."

Luke cocked one eyebrow, scooping up his sword.

"You remembered my last name?"

She shrugged and started out of the arena.

"I've got a mind like a steel trap," she informed him, tapping her temple with her index and middle fingers.

Luke chuckled at the analogy and followed behind her. Antigone heard a grumbling in her stomach and proceeded to rub her midsection.

"Gods, I'm starved."

Ignoring her, the son of Hermes used the tip of his sword to point across camp.

"Let's go toward the climbing wall. I'd like to see how you fair there."

But Antigone refused. Adamantly.

"Food first."

He shook his head.

"No, training. You can eat later."

Antigone held her ground, literally. Leaning on the hilt of her sword, she stopped walking and looked longingly toward the mess hall.

"You're really going to throw a temper tantrum in the middle of Camp Half Blood?" he asked, chuckling to himself.

She raised one eyebrow and looked at his handsome face.

"If I have to."

Luke put his head in one hand and considered it. She would not budge, he knew. Finally, he sighed and moved toward the mess hall.

"Fine. Let's go. I was hungry anyway," he mumbled under his breath.

Inside, Antigone celebrated her victory. Outwardly, she kept her cool composure. But Luke noticed a light spring in her step, and hated himself for letting her win. Partly, though, he smiled at the thought of making her happy, if only for a moment.

* * *

They ate at their late lunch at their respective tables, both silent. Campers chomped and chattered all around him, but Luke ate quietly for once. His mind whirled. Why had he dreamt about her? Where was she from? How could she possibly be so well trained, but never have been to camp before? Why was Chiron so adamant they be partners? Why did he enjoy the stubborn half-blood's company so much? Why couldn't he stop thinking about her?

"Earth to Luke!" A voice called.

He looked to Collyer, who-apparently- had tried unsuccessfully to get a hold of him for several moments.

"Yeah?" He responded.

She widened her eyes at him exasperatedly.

"Good to see you're still in there somewhere," she breathed.

The girl picked up a cookie, tore it in half, and shoved a bite in her mouth.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

The Stoll brothers looked up from the papers in front of them-a plan for a prank, no doubt- and stared at the two across from them.

"You've been out of it, man," Travis said.

Connor piped up.

"Collyer has been trying to ask you about that girl since you sat down."

Oh.

"What about her?" he asked.

Collyer threw up her hands.

"Anything you've got. I'm a major gossip source in this place. How do you think it makes me look when I don't have any scoop on this girl when you're with her all day?"

Travis laughed to himself through his drink.

"And half the night..."

Luke kicked the little sneaky twirp under the table. Travis whined like a little girl and reached down to rub the place where Luke's shoe made contact.

"What was that for?"

The cabin leader shot him a look; Collyer observed the whole exchange with growing annoyance.

"Luke. Explain," she said, firmly.

A popular opinion around camp was that Collyer was a ditzy blonde who loved nothing more than to have the gossip first. This, she knew, was only partly true. She loved gossip, but she was by no means ditzy or stupid. It just worked to her advantage to have people think that. Luke sighed and looked at the girl.

"But-" He began, holding his arrogant ground.

Collyer held one hand up.

"Do you want to be the first that I tell about gossip I get?"

Luke nodded; it always worked to his advantage.

"Then tell me what you know!" She shrieked.

Her voice reverberated across the mess hall; many turned to face her, including the girl in question. Antigone met Luke's eyes with a question and smile in her eyes. So, he did the first thing he thought to do: he bolted.

"I'll tell you when at dinner, Coll."

But he wouldn't tell her at dinner because he knew nothing. It dawned on him in that one moment that Antigone, in spite of everything that transpired over that last twenty-four hours refused to reveal anything to him. She guarded herself tightly, wound up and locked away from him. For some reason, it lit a fire, a curiosity in him that he never expected to be there.

Collyer screeched behind him as he rushed over to the exit. Luke ignored her, though, and waved for Antigone to follow. With a sigh, Hades' daughter complied.

"What was that about?" She asked, smirking.

Falling into step with Luke, Antigone looked straight ahead.

"Where did you come from?" He asked.

The question held no frustration or malice. Just pure, unbridled, desperate curiosity. Taken aback, she shook her head.

"Where is this coming from?" She shot back.

He looked away from her and out into the distance. The Lake came into his view. Nearly four o'clock, the sun began to sink below the trees. Their late lunch would throw off his training schedule, but his unplanned detour would throw it off even more. The lake. For some reason, it made him stop in his tracks. And then he remembered. That morning, he saw fear in her eyes as she crossed the stream. She feared water. And he was going to find out why. Not maliciously and with no evil intent. He merely figured that if he could get her close enough, she might finally have to reveal something to him. Well, the idea seemed brilliant at the time.

"Forget it, Antigone. C'mon," he said, his charming Gatsby smile slapping on his face.

Luke grasped her hand in his, and pulled her toward the water. When they reached the bank of the lake, she finally wrenched herself away from his grasp.

"What is this, Castellan?" she asked, thrown off at his mood swings.

"We're going for a swim," he said through his toothy grin as he scooped her up.

Much cursing and thrashing ensued, but he continued until he stood in thigh deep water.

"I get it; I get it. You don't like getting wet; you'll mess up your pretty hair," he said sarcastically.

Finally, he looked down at her.

"But if I don't make you, how are you ever going to learn?"

The smirk filled Antigone with rage, but before she could open her mouth, Luke tossed her unceremoniously into the lake. Little did he know, eyes from the heavens, eyes from the depths of Tatarus, and eyes from the Big House followed the exchange.

Luke expected Antigone to surface within a moment, spluttering and looking something like a drowned cat. But she didn't. On the surface, the lake looked calm and serene, as though nothing had breached its calm top layer.

"Oh, shit," he muttered.

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	8. Destiny

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Hands. No, claws. That, Antigone decided was the only way to describe how she felt. Luke tossed her into the water, carelessly as though throwing back a boot he accidentally reeled in. But the second she hit the surface, Antigone began to sink. No, not sink. Instead, she felt two powerful claws of water wrap around her and pull her down. In the back of her mind, the girl almost heard the deep laughter of the sea god as he brought the girl down, closer to her death. Antigone hated water for a reason.

_"But, Chiron, I see you. You let the others swim. I saw some Naiads racing some of the others just this morning-" A ten-year old Antigone asked._

_The pair walked across the silky black night; Antigone whined for what seemed like the thousandth time about not being allowed near the lake. Chiron chuckled at her persistence._

_"Why do you think you want to do so badly?"_

_She knew Chiron tested her. Sighing, she shouldered her bow and looked up at him._

_"Because I know I can't," Antigone recited._

_Chiron continued. _

_"Your Uncle, if you were ever to enter his domain, would be hard pressed to let you go. And you don't want to end up a new breed of seaweed or coral, do you?" _

_She shook her head and shivered as she looked at the lake. Even at the young age, she knew she stood no chance against Poseidon._

But she thrashed violently anyway, her lungs nearly collapsing for want of air. Nothing, however, helped. The vice grip of the traitorous liquid held onto her, and eventually, she felt herself slip deeper and deeper into unconsciousness.

* * *

Luke, seeing the still surface of the lake, immediately threw his shirt off, tossed it onto the shore, and dove in head first. His body shot crisply through the water, and he opened his eyes immediately. The sting lingered, but he hardly had it in himself to care. He looked around for a moment, pushing himself this way and that before his body forced him up for air. Breaking the surface, he gulped in several breaths before pushing himself down once more. And there, he met one of the oddest scenes he ever saw at Camp Half-Blood. The water created a cocoon around the girl, swirling like a vortex in circles around her body. Her eyes closed, and Luke saw that her chest did not rise and fall. Violently, as though it felt challenged by Luke's presence and competition for its treasure, the vortex pushed down toward the bottom of the lake. Saying a quick prayer for safety, Luke followed, resigned to rescue Antigone.

The boy pushed himself against the water, faster and faster as the water became darker and colder. He refused to let the malicious tide sweep her away. Something deep inside him urged him on, moving him to save her. His lungs screamed for release, but he felt so close. Luke, finally, reached out his hand, afraid of what the vortex would do to him. But the moment he touched the swirling water, the bond broke, and Antigone began to fall. Fortunately, the young son of Hermes scooped her up. Kicking furiously, Luke moved himself and the girl toward the surface.

At the moment he felt his lungs fill with air, Luke never felt a better relief. He drank the air hungrily as he moved toward the shore, carrying a limp Antigone in his arms. She made no move, nor did her chest begin to fill with air. Her eyes didn't flutter open or look into his deeply. She merely lay there in his arms.

"Luke Castellan!" A deep voice called.

Luke only just reached the place where the water lapped upon the shore when he heard Chiron's shout. The old centaur's tone showed all of the anger and disappointment he felt. Hermes' son looked up from the girl for the briefest moment to acknowledge the teacher before moving to set the girl upon a boulder by the water. Quickly, he attempted mouth-to-mouth as Chiron continued to call out,

"Luke Castellan, son of Hermes! What in the name of-"

Eyes shooting up to Chiron, Luke felt a flash of anger.

"I hear you. I'm trying to save her," he implored.

And before Chiron could say another word, Luke scooped the girl from the boulder and began running to her to the Apollo cabin.

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The old Centaur sighed and looked after the pair. Everything about the situation seemed completely wrong. He chose Luke to lead Antigone through 'training' because he assumed-incorrectly, apparently- that Luke's eyes were only for Thalia. Much to his dismay, however, he saw the growing attraction between the two, even if they did not. Luke's impulsiveness matched Antigone's care. Antigone's cunning matched Luke's strength. Both young demigods matched each other with their intelligence, snapping out quips at each other every chance they had. The old centaur saw it: they fit together like puzzle pieces. And Chiron had been the cause. He cursed himself for putting them together. Chiron knew the prophecy:

_Daughter of Death, Daughter of Life meets the love of nations; _

_Love of Nations brings forth two fates:_

_A choice lays in their hands._

_Let his love destroy; Let her love save._

Antigone knew only part of the prophecy. She knew her immortal parents, she knew that she was forced into captivity until her sixteenth birthday for a reason. However, she did not know what Chiron knew. The young girl lived unaware that her love could bring the hope or despair of the nations. But tonight, it troubled Chiron more than it ever had before. Luke Castellan. He looked Heaven-ward, smiling wryly at the Fates. If he could say anything about them, they had one sense of humor.

He always felt, in the back of his mind, that Luke would play an important part in history. For years, he pushed it aside, writing it off. He assumed Luke's importance lie with Thalia. Never before did he dare to dream that Luke's importance lie with something of this magnitude. Again, Chiron shook his head. Luke Castellan. The name ran over and over in his head, as did memories of the boy arriving and growing at camp. The Centaur gripped his staff a little tighter at the thought. Luke Castellan: The boy with something to prove. The boy who hid his pain and kept himself locked tighter than the armory. The boy who, whether he knew or not, held the fate of not only Chiron's most beloved student in his hand, but also the fate of the world as they knew it. Chiron sighed and turned toward the cabins. He prepared Antigone for years, but not for this.

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	9. Mission Accomplished

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Antigone woke from her three day, coma-like sleep to a tingling sensation on the top of her hand, almost the feeling of a spider tip-toeing across her skin. Her eyes looked down. Much to her pleasure, it was not, in fact, a spider. However, much to her displeasure, a hand belonging to Luke Castellan held fast to hers, his thumb tracing small, lazy circles on the top of her appendage. A sound erupted from Antigone's throat as she noticed the son of Hermes was fast asleep, peaceful as ever; it sounded something between a growl and a yelp, pathetic and powerful, but she felt it adequately displayed her frustration. With a sigh, she kicked herself from under the covers. Mustering all the energy she held inside her, Antigone reared back, and threw her energy into kicking Luke's kneecap.

"Oh, _Gods,"_ Luke spluttered, waking.

Moments of cursing in Ancient Greek passed, with Antigone just watching on, vague amusement on her face.

"That hurt," he said, chuckling as he moved down to rub his shin.

She smiled and nodded.

"Good," she said, satisfied with herself.

He rolled his eyes at her.

"Well, it's good to see you're feeling better," he muttered under his breath.

A small 'hmph' came from Antigone as she sat cross-legged in her bed.

"Yes, no thanks to you."

He reeled back, as though he was shocked she could ever place the blame on him.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

She laughed, the first full laugh he heard her laugh since her arrival at Camp Half-Blood. Antigone fell backward on the cot and grabbed her stomach for support.

"Oh, don't be like that, Sunshine," he implored.

Antigone ceased her laughter and rolled her eyes at the boy.

"You dropped me in the middle of the ocean, Luke!"

Hermes' son scoffed.

"Don't be dramatic. It was a lake," he said, smiling sardonically down at her.

The boy looked at her with his deep eyes; she turned away from their intensity. On the table beside her sat food and several generic get-well cards from the Apollo cabin.

"They brought me stuff?" she asked, tired of the subject and the constant tug-of-war.

A tinge of bitterness struck Luke's tone.

"Yeah. They brought _you _stuff," he said.

His tone did not go unnoticed by the girl in the bed.

"Well, you did try to drown me, " she snapped, "No wonder they didn't bring you things."

Luke shook his head, his blonde hair shaking emphatically.

"I did not try to drown you," he retorted with a smirk, matching her, "You need to learn to swim."

Antigone rolled her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time since she met him.

"And you thought that letting Poseidon have me was the best way to do that?"

Luke bit his tongue, stopping short of an answer. No reply or excuse would satisfy her, that much he understood. Before another syllable could pass between the pair, Chiron moved into the room, saving them both. Instantly, Luke stood and nodded somewhat ruefully to the trainer.

"Chiron," he said simply.

He moved toward the door before turning back around. With a smile and salute to Antigone, he said, "If you need anything..."

The girl waved him away, taking note of the unfinished statement mentally. The centaur stepped closer once the door slammed to mark Luke's exit from the room.

"Good afternoon, Antigone," Chiron said, in greeting.

Antigone dipped her head in shame.

"Hello, Chiron," she responded.

Chiron smiled and shook his head.

"There's no need to be ashamed. I know what really happened. You were not at fault."

Antigone's head shot up, vindication glowing on her face.

"Really?"

He nodded down at her.

"Yes. But, in light of it-"

_Of course. The catch. Here we go..._ Antigone thought to herself.

"I think it's time you branched out and explored more people around camp."

Then, Chiron caught a look in the girl's eyes. Chiron was positive she hadn't even registered the fleeting emotion that passed over her, but Chiron did: Disappointment. He then continued.

"Luke will still supervise your training, but you should meet more campers."

Antigone nodded.

"Yes, Chiron.

Then, the moment was broken.

"Oh, you're up!" A cheery voice nearly sang.

The girl turned her face to look at a particularly handsome son of Apollo.

"Yeah, I am," she said, smiling at him.

Chiron smiled, pleased at the blessing.

"Wonderful! Antigone Harper, this is Andrew Clay, son of Apollo."

Andrew nodded to her with a blinding smile before checking the papers in his hand.

"These say that-" he flipped through stack, "Oh, you're free to go when you like."

The centaur smiled.

"Wonderful. Good day, Andrew."

For a moment, Andrew and Antigone shared a long smile; then, Chiron placed his hand on the girl's back and led her out.

"It's almost dinner. Perhaps you can start your friend hunt while everyone is out of activity."

Antigone nodded, nervous. Her fear was unwarranted and unneeded, because a voice piped up in front of her the moment she left the Big House.

* * *

"Oh, my gods. Antigone Harper?"

The girl looked up to see Luke's dinner partner, Collyer standing before her.

"Yes?" Antigone responded.

Collyer broke into a face-breaking smile.

"Well, I'm Collyer, daughter of Hermes. This," she said, pointing to a boy standing beside her, "Is Quincy."

In a low voice, the loud girl added, "He's my boyfriend. He's a son of Hephaestus."

Quincy nodded to Antigone with a small, almost timid smile.

"Hey, Quincy," she said in response.

His smile widened. That seemed to be one of Antigone's qualities: she was a magnet and a wall all at the same time.

"So, Antigone, I want to know all about you," Collyer gushed.

Antigone smirked to herself and looked back at Chiron.

_Mission Accomplished._

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	10. The Ashgrove Entrancing

**Thank you for the tremendous response to the last chapter! Please keep it up! I love my reviewers! You are all wonderful.**

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Hours slipped past the three, as did dinner. Collyer, Quinn, and Antigone split up only long enough to force down some food before immediately joining up once they had done so. Conversation twisted and turned every way and that, before Collyer decided to ask the question that burned in the back of her mind.

"So, Antigone," she began, "You and Luke? What's going on there?"

The other girl sighed. She scolded herself mentally for not realizing that conversation would eventually take this turn. Those children of Hermes were just too sly.

"Well, Luke was assigned by Chiron to be my trainer-"

Collyer waved her hand impatiently.

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. I know all that-" she muttered, rolling her eyes.

Quincy shared a look with Antigone, the look in his eyes speaking volumes, though his mouth spoke none._ She does this a lot, _his eyes seemed to say_, You'll get used to it. _Antigone nodded, laughter dancing in her eyes.

"I _know_ that you two are training training, but what else? You two have to be something more than just training partners. You just have to be," Collyer looked around and waved her hands in a true Italian-American-Demigod way, marking her for what she was.

Antigone scoffed and shook her head.

"Why do we _have_ to be anything?"

The girl grabbed her new friend's hand and patted it assuringly. With a knowing look, she stared Antigone down.

"Well, first off all, when Luke walked out of that infirmary for the first time, he made some comment about you making eyes with- and I quote-"

Collyer slipped into a scarily accurate rendition of Luke's voice.

"'That little snipe son of Apollo.'"

Antigone found this odd.

"He was-?" she began.

Smiling victoriously and raising her eyebrows suggestively, Collyer nodded.

"Yep. Jealous as a cat of the mousetrap."

Quincy rolled his eyes at the silliness of the analogy, but said nothing to his girlfriend of it. Noticing his expression, Collyer slapped his tall shoulder with her little hand and implored him with her eyes.

"C'mon, Quincy! You saw him. Wasn't he jealous? Wasn't he?"

About that, the boy had no argument. He looked up at the daughter of Hades.

"He looked like he was about to spit nails," he confirmed.

Collyer smiled, satisfied at herself, and tipped her chin upward a bit.

"See? Told you."

The other girl chuckled, before remembering the words that Collyer first said.

"What do you mean, leaving the infirmary for the first time?"

She took a moment to breathe before looking up at Collyer.

"What happened after I passed out?"

Hermes' daughter looked at Antigone for a long, incredulous moment. Then, she remembered herself.

"Oh, right. You were out for those three days, weren't you?"

Without even a moment for Antigone to respond that yes, indeed, she had been asleep for the past three days, Collyer's mouth took off running.

"Well, that night, Luke didn't come back to the cabin. And I, as his trusty lieutenant, went to investigate. It just doesn't _do_ to have the leader not making curfew. So, I went toward the Big House. But, when I was going toward it, I saw that cute Apollo kid," she reached in the back of her mind for the name and looked to Quincy for help, "Oh, what's his name!"

Quincy shrugged, truly having no idea what in the world she spoke of.

"You know the one!" She chided him, throwing her arms up frustratedly.

Again, he shrugged and shook his head. Collyer groaned and attached her hands to her hip.

"What's-his-face! That one who was talking to that Aphrodite girl last year? The one who she dumped for- Well, it doesn't matter," she sighed and gave up on her venture, seeing that neither of her companions would be of any help.

Antigone piped up.

"Andrew. Andrew Clay?" She asked.

Collyer snapped and smiled.

"Yes! I knew that! Well, anyway, he was running behind Luke. And guess what was in Luke's arms?"

She gave Antigone no time to answer the rhetorical question.

"You. He was carrying you. And I followed him toward the Big House. I couldn't go in, of course, past curfew, but I never saw him leave the infirmary any of those three days. Not one of them. Not even for a minute."

Finally, Collyer gave herself a moment to breathe. Then, she realized the missing bit of the story, and continued.

"Speaking of which, why were you in the infirmary all of that time? I asked around, but, well, in case you haven't heard, I'm the girl who knows everything about everything that goes on around here, and-"

The young gossip's words flew from her lips with the speed of a race car, and Antigone struggled to cut her off.

"He dropped me in the lake. I nearly drowned," she said simply, once she slid into the middle of her new friend's words.

Both Quincy and Collyer stopped dead in their tracks.

"What?" Collyer asked.

Antigone nodded; the daughter of Hermes looked to her boyfriend for some shred of shock. Instead, he shrugged at her intensity, and in his very cool way, responded.

"Don't know why you're surprised. Luke does crap like that. I'm pretty sure he doesn't think."

A beat passed. Collyer huffed to herself as she crossed her arms over her chest. She spent her entire career as camp gossip monger threading out all possible rumors that might smudge Luke's crystal reputation. But the entire camp community clamored around her for information on the mysterious new girl, news that she didn't have. To them, Antigone was an exotic animal: interesting enough to talk about, but scary enough to keep their distance. So, with this juicy bit of information pulled from her newest friend, she found herself conflicted. Not quite at a loss for words, she spluttered out the fragmented bits of sentences running through her mind.

"I just-I can't-But we- I mean, he-Luke is-"

Quincy grabbed his girlfriend's hand as they sat down around the campfire.

"It's okay to be quiet sometimes, Collyer," he assured her.

Then, Collyer looked up at him with the most trusting eyes Antigone ever saw, and he graced her forehead with a single, sweet kiss. Gently, he tucked her head into his shoulder, and they both stared into the roaring flames before them as the campfire officially began.

* * *

_"...Ah, then little think I_  
_Of sorrow or sadness_  
_The ash grove entrancing_  
_Spells beauty for me..."_

Luke drowned out the song of the Apollo children with the thoughts of the girl across the fire from him. She refused to look at him, whether consciously or unconsciously, and it made him only try the harder to catch her attention. He inwardly groaned as that Andrew kid sang a solo. Antigone looked up at him and smiled as he gently belted out the song's refrain, and clapped with the rest of camp once the song came to its conclusion. The air whistled around the campers, blowing the flames ever so slightly to one side. Luke sucked in the sweet smell of smoke, letting it fill his mind and clear his head. Mr. D rose and spoke.

"Good evening, little joys," he muttered sarcastically.

The campers all whispered to their neighbor or sighed at the man's resentment toward them.

"It's that time again, you little blood-lover's favorite event," he said, his voice the most drolling, monotone Luke ever heard.

Excitement filled him, though, at the man's words.

"Capture the Flag."

Light filled Hermes' son's eyes. He finally knew how to win Antigone over. A plan brewed in his mind, and a smirk fell onto his features.

* * *

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	11. Capture the Flag

**All reviewers will receive homemade internet cookies and imaginary shirtless Luke Castellan posters.**

* * *

The next morning threw the entire camp into a flurried panic. Campers shot to ready themselves for the battle ahead. Capture the Flag. A game designed to test the limits of each demi-god in some way and push them to new extremes, and (of course) to entertain Mr. D. Each demi-god rushed to slip on their armor and readjust their weaponry, but Antigone-as usual- sat on the sidelines with Chiron. He prepared a place for her beside him and they sat beside each other on a ridge overlooking the battle zone. Pair of binoculars in one hand and glass of rootbeer in the other, Antigone leaned back against a tree to at least try to enjoy the spectacle.

And what an intrigue it was! She never saw a game of Capture the Flag before, so when Chiron asked her to sit this one out, she accepted readily. Each time she swept the valley of trees with her binoculars, she caught new conflict and watched as small portions of the fight unraveled before her. She watched Collyer take down some Ares kids; she watched Quincy narrowly avoid being captured by some Aphrodite campers. With a rueful smile, she spied on Connor and Travis Stoll get rounded up by one of Apollo's children. The battle captured her attention and held it eagerly. But what made her heart skip a beat? Following Andrew Clay sneak past enemy lines toward their flags. She would whisper to Chiron updates every few seconds and breath advice to him under her breath, urging him to hide behind this tree or watch out for that camper behind the rock.

She knew he would never hear her, but he did seem to listen to her advice. He swiftly travelled through the land, his footfall light and his face ever alert yet calm. Soon, he readied himself behind a large rock face to approach the enemy flag. Antigone saw that which he did not: Two enemy campers guarding the flag, and Luke Castellan following not too far behind him. Antigone's breath caught in her throat.

"Chiron, Luke Castellan is on Andrew's tail."

The old Centaur nodded.

"Yes. I'm sure he is. You sound surprised."

Truth be told, Antigone was not surprised. Just disappointed. Antigone wanted so badly for Andrew to be the hero.

"Oh, gods," she muttered under her breath.

Luke spotted Andrew and hid behind a tree, unsheathing his sword quietly. But just as Luke went to move from his hiding spot, the son of Apollo took on of the guards by surprise and knocked him out with the hilt of his sword. Antigone's eyes shot open as wide as they could, and she gasped.

"What is it?" Chiron asked, though he knew very well what she spoke of.

A trembling hand motioned, reaching out in the general direction of the conflict.

"Andrew just knocked out a girl."

Chiron nodded.

"This is battle, Antigone."

Horror still wracked her. Andrew Clay seemed a gentle soul. But he took out the female guard as though he cared little for human life. Antigone relifted the binoculars to her eyes in time to see the very boy locked in an intense battle with the other guard as Luke Castellan edged ever closer. She bit her lip to keep from shouting out. Andrew Clay's sword fell to the ground far away from him and held his hands up in surrender. A sigh of relief flew from Antigone's lips.

But too soon. For the guard who watched his friend get trampled by the young son of Apollo threw away his sword too, and launched himself at Andrew. And, though he tried, Andrew found himself defenseless as the guard beat him.

Luke edged up on the sight. Antigone groaned. Of course, he would show up just to finish Andrew off. Sword still in hand, the son of Hermes sauntered over toward the guard. Any hope she had rushed out of Antigone's body and her body went limp. The binoculars fell to her side and she disconnected from the battle unfolding before her.

"Don't you want to finish watching?" he asked.

She shook her head and stood.

"I've seen quite enough, Chiron. I'm going back toward the Big House."

Chiron thought of stopping her before realizing it better if he didn't.

"I'll see you back there, then," he said simply.

She waved behind her carelessly, throwing her arm up in acknowledgement before wandering through the greenery of the Camp Half-Blood forest alone.

* * *

Almost an hour later, she perched herself comfortably in a tree, book in one hand and apple in the other. Her eyes skimmed the original Latin text of Ovid's Metamorphoses, soaking up the stories of old. A gentle winter wind blew past her, and the sun began to set over the treetops. She wrapped herself in the book in an attempt to find a sense of peace, a peace that might force her to forget about what she witnessed in the Capture the Flag game, or battle as Chiron called it. And her plan seemed to work until she heard the sound of struggling and groaning.

Her black eyes shot up and looked toward the Big House, where Andrew Clay hobbled up the stairs with the help of two Apollo comrades. Antigone nearly threw herself down from her tree branch and landed lithely on her feet. Taking off running, she threw her book to the ground and called out to him.

"Andrew!"

The boy didn't turn as he neared the Big House door.

"Andrew!" she called again.

This time, he turned, his eyes easily reaching hers.

"Oh, Antigone. Nice to see you up and about. You feeling okay?"

She nodded and watched him grab his side in pain.

"How can you ask me about my health when you're so banged up?"

He shrugged as best he could with two guys propping him up.

"Ah, it's just Pearce. He goes kind of crazy during Capture the Flag. I shouldn't have gone for Marie like I did."

A part of Antigone cheered at the pseudo-apology about the way he knocked that girl out, but the other part of her wanted to know as much as possible about Luke's part in his injuries.

"Yeah, I saw that."

Andrew turned red and ducked his head down.

"Oh, you did, didn't you?"

She nodded.

"Yeah. And I saw Luke coming up behind you-"

Head popping up, a smile broke out against Andrew's features. Confusion flooded Antigone.

"Gods, did you? I never knew Luke was such a class act."

Furrowing her brow, Antigone shook her head.

"What do you mean?"

Andrew reeled back a bit, confused at her confusion.

"I thought you saw."

Shoulders shrugged, Antigone shoved her hands in her pockets.

"I did. But I left because I thought-"

Cutting her off, Andrew released his side to stop her with his hands.

"He pulled Pearce off of me and carried me back to my team mates so I could come here and get help."

Antigone could not have been more shocked if Mr. D and Chiron walked in and proclaimed that they were a couple and going to Massachusetts to get married.

"What?"

Barely smiling through his pain, Andrew nodded.

"Yeah. Pretty cool of him, huh?"

Antigone nodded and suddenly came to her senses.

"You need to go inside and get healed! Go!" She urged, waving him into the Big House.

He smiled and waved at her before disappearing into the building. Antigone reeled back for a moment, feeling a dizzy spell overcome her. She sunk to a step on the stairs, putting a hand to her head. But the campers soon made their entrance back near the Big House, and she felt that she couldn't get enough air. Rising, she moved from the Big House. She needed time in the strawberry fields to clear her head.

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	12. The Chase

**All reviewers get Shirtless Lukes and Internet cookies. :)**

* * *

Luke Castellan lay himself down in strawberry fields, looking up at the sky. He placed his arms behind his head and sucked in the cool air. Hoping that the old man might listen, Luke ground his jaw and prayed. Prayed for peace. His mind clouded itself with the memory of ripping Pearce off of that Clay kid. He didn't know why in the world he did it, but he couldn't help himself. Something in him urged Luke to be merciful. But that wasn't even all. He helped the guy get to safety. The same rotten son of Apollo who continually made eyes at Antigone. It almost made Luke sick with himself. He sacrificed his team's win for that bastard. But then, suddenly, Antigone's face flashed across his mind's eye and he became even more confused. Had he done it for her?

"We have got to stop meeting like this," a voice said.

His eyes lazily opened to see the exact same sight as when his eyes were closed. Antigone stood over the demigod, a half-smile on her face and a funny look in her black eyes. He sat up to greet her.

"Look who it is. Zombie Princess graces me with her presence."

The arrogance he exuded almost made Antigone turn back around and return to camp. She had not expected to find him in her place of peace, but she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity nonetheless.

"Mind if I sit?"

He laid back down casually, placing his arms behind his head once more.

"It's a free country."

Resisting the urge to throw up her hands and walk away, Antigone lay down in the next row of strawberries, several plants serving as the only barrier between the pair.

"So, I heard you lost today," she commented.

Luke cringed at her choice of topic, but played along nonetheless. She looked at him between two strawberry plants as he shrugged.

"You heard right. Mostly."

Antigone knew something like this would happen. Luke and his pride.

"Mostly? How could you mostly lose?"

She chuckled at him, unable to control herself. Even after knowing Luke a short time, she knew how he could be.

"I only lost because I did something stupid."

At this, Antigone turned on her side to fully look at him, not just out of the corner of her eye.

"What stupid thing did you do?" She asked.

Of course, she thought she knew the answer, but she listened attentively anyway.

"I helped the enemy."

Antigone popped one eyebrow up and cocked her head to the side.

"Did you now?"

She wanted to pry the truth from him, scarcely believing it from Andrew's mouth.

"Yeah. Some moron tried to attack my flag and they were getting their ass beat-"

He sat up, wrapping his arms around his knees, looking off into the distance and recalling the memory.

"I pulled my guard off of him and brought him back to enemy territory so he could get help."

Antigone sat up too, looking at him curiously.

"And did this stranger have a name?"

Though Luke knew it, he pretended he didn't. He hummed to himself and made like he was trying to recall.

"I think it may have been Andrew Clay," he finally said.

Luke nodded once, seemingly satisfied with himself. He looked over at Antigone, meeting her intense gaze.

"But you already knew that, didn't you?" He asked, both smiling and furrowing his brow.

Turning her head so he couldn't see her blush, she shrugged and smiled.

"Well, you know, I may have heard it somewhere."

Shaking his head at her, he tapped her shoulder.

"Is the Zombie Princess blushing?"

Pulling away from him, she laughed.

"It's dark and you have no way to prove that!"

He reached for her again and she leapt to her feet.

"Oh, is that a challenge?" Luke asked, standing and following her.

She nodded and jumped over a strawberry plant in her way as she attempted to evade him.

"Well, we'll just see about that."

The pair played a game of cat and mouse through the field of strawberries. Somewhere along the way, Luke felt taken back by a single revelation. He couldn't remember being so singularly happy since before Thalia died. The idea nearly knocked him from his feet. He kept chasing Antigone, though, not willing to let the feeling go.

Finally, she face planted, having tripped over one particularly tall plant, and he caught up with her. Pulling her to her feet, Luke watched her give up the struggle and allow herself to laugh. When she finally stood on solid ground, the son of Hermes touched her chin and inspected her face, turning it each way he could and mumbling to himself mockingly.

"Yep. That's a blush. Definitely a bad case of blushing, Antigone."

The daughter of Hades ripped herself away from the boy and brushed him away.

"I was running. You get red cheeked when you run. Not that I'd expect you to know that, lazy."

His hand flew to his heart and a gasp escaped him.

"Did you just call me, Luke Castellan, lazy?"

He whispered the last word for effect and spoke as though the very idea confused him to no end. Antigone merely nodded at him once and finally, smirking self-assuredly at him. Luke shook his head at her with a smile and extended his hand for her to shake.

"Friends?" He asked, looking hopefully down at her.

She looked between the hand and his face several times before conceding. Later, she would look back at that moment in complete and utter confusion. Sure, he proved himself to be a somewhat decent human being willing to sacrifice for the sake of others, but that hardly constituted a friendship. But nonetheless, she grabbed his hand in hers, and she shook it.

"Sure," she began before pausing, "But you have to promise you'll stop threatening my life on a daily basis."

Shaking his head, Luke scoffed.

"I don't threaten your life on a daily basis," he offered.

Antigone pulled her hand from his.

"No promise, no friendship."

The smirk grew into a smile.

"Look at you. You're learning, you shrewd little demigod," he said, his eyes appraising her.

Lifting her shoulders in a non-committal shrug, it was Antigone's turn to smirk.

"I've learned from only the best, Castellan."

And, as the two looked at each other and shared a blinding smile, Luke knew why he had saved that Andrew kid. He saved him so he could have this one, shining moment with this girl who was slowly beginning to claim more and more of him with each passing moment.

* * *

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	13. The View From Here

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* * *

Days passed, and slowly. Eventually, Luke's team forgave him for the loss. Collyer took the longest, but finally gave in when he let her beat him in a round of sword training. Andrew came from the infirmary, healed and growing stronger with each passing moment. Winter Solstice approached, and everyone kept it in the back of their minds. Even with camp in a tizzy of anticipation, and much to the dismay of all, training continued.

"Okay, let's start again. You mount from the right side-"

Luke was attempting, for the twenty-eighth time, to teach Antigone to ride a winged horse. Quincy and Collyer sat on a hay bale together, holding each other for laughter as they watched him fail miserably. Antigone leaned on a stall and crossed her arms over her chest, her face resolute and decided. Riding a pegasus, her uncle's creation, was the last thing she would ever learn to do. Well, aside from swimming, which Luke had also planned for them to try again.

He demonstrated how to mount the Pegasus, leaping on with ease. He petted the winged horses' flanks and calmed him down. The animal turned so Luke could look at Antigone, who had made no movement to hop on the animal that Luke had gotten out for her. As a matter of fact, she and the creature found themselves locked in an intense staring contest with each other, the horse occasionally huffing his annoyance at her.

"C'mon, Antigone, hop on," he implored her.

She shook her head and took another step away from the animal.

"Under no circumstances will I be getting on that thing," she said, throwing her words around with disdain coloring them.

The 'thing' stomped his hoof and snorted at her, detest apparent in his features. Quincy and Collyer both bit their lips to hide their gleeful expressions. At the sound of their muffled laughs, Antigone instantly shot them looks.

"Harper! Get on the damn animal!" Luke shouted, a small smile still evident on his face.

Exasperation filled him as Antigone shook her head and turned to talk to her friends on the hay bale. But Antigone's ploy was no match for his determination. Kicking his mount's hindquarters, he sped up, scooped the girl in his great arm, and swung her onto the animal with the strength of a god. She squealed and cursed him with every dark word she knew, but fearfully held onto him with all of her might. Her arms squeezed his body with all of her might and slammed her eyes tightly shut. Soon, she felt the animal's powerful legs lift off of the ground, and she began praying with everything she had.

"Gods, please protect me from this mentally unstable demigod who is attempting to kill me on this Pegasus' back….. please keep me safe from harm and from whatever plans for my death he has in his scheming little mind. Hermes, strike your son down with your strength and save me…"

Luke rolled his eyes as he heard her prayers, laughing to himself.

"Harper! Open your eyes."

He felt her shake her head across his back.

"Not on your life!" She shouted.

She felt him shrug.

"Fine, you're just going to miss the view," he said.

Tentatively, Antigone popped one eye open. She waited a moment before opening the other.

"They open?" Luke asked.

She sighed.

"Yep. I don't see anything but your sorry ass and the clouds."

He smirked and urged the Pegasus forward.

"Then you aren't looking down."

Outrage filled her.

"Look down?" she stammered.

He nodded and pointed.

"Yep. Down."

Antigone gulped.

"But they say, 'Never Look Down.'"

Luke chuckled.

"They've obviously never seen Camp Half-Blood from this height. Look down. Trust me."

His hand wandered from the pegasus' mane to her hand at his waist. He stroked it for a moment before letting it go. Slowly, Antigone did trust him enough to look down.

"Wow," she breathed, barely loud enough for him to hear.

The Camp looked like a child's toy set. The campers looked like figurines, moving in intricate patterns across the land. Trees broke up the landscape, and from here even the water that so evilly trapped Antigone seemed peaceful. She smiled.

"It's great, isn't it?"

As much as it pained her to say, he was right about this.

"Yeah. It is."

Tugging on the winged horses' mane, they began to make their descent.

"Now, we can get on the ground again."

Antigone closed her eyes once more.

"Thank the gods," she muttered, digging her face into Luke's back.

Not fast enough for Antigone's taste, they landed back on Camp Half-Blood soil. She nearly threw herself from the animal.

"Land! Oh, I've missed you," she shouted, kissing the hay-covered ground.

Luke rolled his eyes and led the Pegasus to its stall.

"You are so dramatic."

Quincy stood and brushed the hay from his pants, Collyer following.

"How bad was it?" She asked.

Antigone frantically shook her head, her eyes wide and disapproving.

"I showed her the view, but she didn't like it so much."

The daughter of Hades stood in defense of herself.

"I never said that. It was beautiful. But you made me get on a giant, winged beast to get there!"

Luke neared her.

"I brought you back alive, didn't I?" he asked, throwing his arms up confusedly.

Collyer smirked at the pair as Antigone found she ran out of things to say.

"The course of true love never did run smooth," she whispered to Quincy.

Quincy nodded and wrapped an arm around her, squeezing her gently. He began to lead her to the entrance of the stables, knowing that Luke and Antigone would eventually follow.

"Never again," Antigone muttered to herself, crossing her arms.

Luke shook his head at her stubbornness and decided to change the topic.

"Collyer, what's up with our party?"

Antigone turned to look at him as they continued to walk.

"Party?" She asked.

He nodded.

"Yep. The Annual Hermes Blow-Out."

Resisting the urge to laugh, Antigone nodded.

"The Stolls are getting the food and drinks. I've got music. Invitations are already dolled out-"

Antigone forced the hurt that bubbled in her at the sound of not getting an invitation down and kept walking. Luke noticed her eyes falling downcast and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Only people who we don't like get invitations. Everyone else just knows to come."

Her frown lifted up into a smile and she titled her head up.

"So, when is this party?" she asked Collyer.

Turning around, the daughter of Hermes responded.

"Winter Solstice. This Friday."

Antigone smirked and looked at Luke.

"You're going to be there, right?" He asked.

She thought for a moment.

"I'll see if I can pencil you all in."

She winked at him before continuing on their path to dinner.

* * *

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	14. Solstice

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* * *

Collyer looked out of one of the windows in Hermes' cabin at Luke and Antigone. They walked closely together, and though she could hear neither of them, she knew they were making fun of each other about something or another. They both wore their signature teasing faces. Luke's hands rested on the hilt of his sword at her waist and Antigone's arm held her bow over her shoulder. Collyer bit the side of her mouth, her smile spreading more with each second of watching them. Luke said something that made Antigone laugh. She bent over, chuckling to hersef, before Luke said something else and she took off running. He followed after her, the pair disturbing the peace all around them.

Finally, Luke caught her around her waist and spoke a few words to her. She nodded and he let her go after squeezing her middle once. Collyer ground her teeth as she thought of how perfect the pair fit together. Luke spent the years at camp as the resident Casanova, leaving a trail of broken hearts behind him as proof. But in Antigone, he met his match. He actually smiled now, the self-assured smirk rarely popped out and rarely annoyed those who saw it. Collyer saw Antigone popping out of her shell, and she watched Antigone slowly beginning to trust Luke more and more with each passing day. She prayed to the gods that he wouldn't break that trust. It worried her more than anything.

Every day, Collyer watched them train. Indeed, they spent nearly every waking moment together, both in work and play. She learned from him eagerly, catching onto everything quickly, and Luke taught her just as eagerly, pleased each day with her progress. And then, as soon as they were done training, they challenged each other to competition after competition, game after game. Whether a game of checkers or a discus match, they played ferociously, as if their lives depended on it, both winning and losing with good humor, something new for Luke, at least.

But Collyer brought herself back to the task at hand. How to get them together for real. Since the first conversation Antigone and Collyer ever spoke, she knew that they belonged with each other. And now, Collyer saw it as her personal mission to make them work. She had seen Luke, her brother, waste his time with the daughters of Aphrodite and the other bimbos at the camp who blindly followed him for far too long. But now, Collyer saw the way he looked at Antigone when he didn't think anyone was looking. Everything changed for him, whether Luke consciously knew it or not. And so, Collyer saw it as her sisterly duty to ensure the happiness of her favorite brother. But how? She turned over the possibilities in her mind. She knew Luke to be far too proud to ever go out and admit his feelings. At least, not without a little push….

Winter Solstice arrived and the party raged in the thick woods beyond the training grounds. They decided that the Hermes Cabin was far too crowded this year for any party to happen there, so it moved. A bonfire blazed in the center and the party took place around it. Luke spent the evening wandering through the crowd, pretending to look interested in the party. Truth be told, all he found himself interested in was the whereabouts of a certain daughter of Hades.

"Earth to Luke?" Connor Stoll asked, waving his hand before Luke's face.

Luke jumped and turned to look at the boy.

"Where the hell have you been, man? We've been looking for you since the party started," Travis echoed.

Their leader shrugged and looked around at the general merriment surrounding him.

"Just around."

The twins looked at each other.

"Just around," they mocked, putting on a fake Luke Castellan voice.

He waved them away, rolling his eyes at them.

"You aren't waiting for that girl are you?" Connor asked, spitting the word girl out like poison.

Luke bowed up and looked at the pair.

"And if I am?"

They immediately backed off.

"Well, look at the time, Connor," Travis remarked.

Connor nodded and pointed in a general area.

"I think we're needed over there for something," he responded.

Travis nodded.

"I think you're right!"

And then, as quickly as they appeared, they were lost in the crowd of campers. Music blared across their section of forest, and girls danced all around, the flames dancing over their skin like ghostly dancing partners. Several called out to Luke, but the most that they received from Luke was a head nod in their direction.

"Collyer!" He called, moving easily through the crowds.

Unsurprisingly, he found her behind a tree, her lips locked with Quincy's. She heard him and held out her hand for him to wait. Crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his foot, he did as she asked. A moment later, she pulled her lips from his and Quincy scampered away.

"What d'you want, Luke?"

He scoffed, as though she should know.

"I wanna know where Antigone is!"

Collyer shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe she didn't want to come."

She turned to walk away from him, but he caught her wrist and spun her around. He rolled his eyes at her ignorance of the situation.

"Collyer, you've gotta know-"

The girl threw her arms up and shook her head.

"Look, if you want her, you've gotta go get her," she said.

Stalking away, she smiled to herself.

"Fine! I will!" He said, grinding his teeth and moving away.

And when she was certain that he was out of eyesight, she shot her hand in the air in victory.

"Mission accomplished," she murmured to herself before walking back to the party to find her boyfriend.

* * *

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